User blog:Gcapp1959/Degrassi 1.0.1 (the 80s series)
Well, if anyone's willing to read an "alternate quantum reality" version of the old 80s show (without which there wouldn't have been a Next Generation), and is familiar enough with it to notice the differences as well as understand the basic story that this thread is intended to weave among, here's the first instalment. I'm a "detail-oriented" type of writer - I like a well-developed setting, and since Degrassi was rather vague, I created my own "neighbourhood", the details of which will slowly become evident. My alter-ego in this story is, basically, much the way I was at the time: mild-mannered, not caught up in fads and trends, shy and alone. ***** Geoff attended Ash Elementary school up through Grade 6, and in fall 1987, moved on to Degrassi Junior High. It was a bit further from the Capp house. 248 students, who would otherwise attend four different area elementary schools, came to it. After two years, they would move on to Central High School, a rather drafty old building that really did need some renovations. They would be joined at Central, 1460 students at present enrolment, by students from Queen Alexandra Junior High and George Brown Junior High, smaller and older schools to the east and south that were fed from two schools each. Machinations were going on, though. Enrolment was declining and it seemed that one of the elementary schools in the area was destined for closure, but all four were in good shape, structurally. With a few upgrades, one could serve as a new high school if needed to replace Central. Another one of those four elementary schools was surplus and also being considered, though it was more junior high size. Geoff entered Grade 8 in fall 1988, as classes started on Monday 29 August. To his annoyance, classmate Joey Jeremiah seemed to remember the pranks and hazing from upper classmen from the year before, and employed it against the new 7s. Geoff spotted Joey locking an unwary student in the janitor closet, so as soon as Joey was out of sight, Geoff was prepared to open the door. As it happened, a Laotian boy got there first and let him out. Geoff overheard them talking about trying to find Ms. Avery’s class. “Hi, I’m Geoff. You need help to get to where?” “Ms. Avery?” Arthur said tentatively. “I will show you the way,” Geoff said. “No tricks.” Geoff pointed and the boys went that way. “You’ll find all the technical classes like industrial arts on the main floor, but the science lab is in its own wing on the northwest end, just so you know.” “You’re a lot friendlier than Joey!” Arthur remarked. “How come you’re so nice?” Yick wondered. “I was a 7 last year, guys. I didn’t appreciate the way the 8s acted. There oughta be a few decent guys, huh? Pass it on next year!” “I’ve got a sister here in Grade 8. She’s already starting to look down on us.” “Who’s that?” Yick asked Arthur. “Let me think about that. I’ll decide whether to let her keep everyone from knowing I’m her brother!” He looked to Geoff again while they climbed the stairs. “I’m Arthur Kobalewscuy. My friend, Yick Yu.” Geoff held out a hand, and the other boys slapped it. “Geoff Capp.” Along the hall, they reached a door marked “social studies”. “Here’s Ms. Avery’s class, guys,” Geoff said, pointing at the door. “Thanks, Geoff!” Yick exclaimed. “Have a great year, huh?” Geoff told them. “You, too!” Yick replied. They entered to be greeted by the teacher. Geoff then hurried to his own class, Mr. Raditch being his home room teacher. He made a mental note to inquire about the curious doorknob arrangement for the janitor’s closets. Shouldn’t they be locked from the outside, he was thinking, to disallow unauthorized use, but unlocked from the inside, for safety? On arrival, he saw most of the familiar faces from his Grade 7 home room, as he took a seat near the rear of one row. A couple seemed to have a hint of shadow on their chins and upper lips. Bucking the odds, half the students in Geoff’s class had birthdays in the January to March period, Joey’s was late August 1974 (his parents held him back a year from starting school), and the rest were scattered mainly through the spring and summer. Accordingly, Geoff and 21 others of the class were already 13 years old. More of the girls looked taller and more mature, while some of the boys hinted they were moving that way. Most of the boys’ eyes, though, were aimed at Stephanie Kaye, and Geoff rolled his eyes as he saw why. He had seen her outside, but since arrival, she had somehow changed her clothes and applied make-up. Geoff didn’t know how to characterize what she had on, but he had seen clothes like that on some grown-up women while riding with his family through parts of downtown Toronto. When Mr. Raditch appeared at the door, everyone shuffled to a seat. Seeing them all seated, he announced, “Greetings, scholars.” He began to stride through, removing Joey’s ever-mounted fedora from his head, and continued, “I trust you all remembered...” With hardly any hesitation in his words, he did a subtle double-take at Stephanie, then studiously ignored her attire. “... to bring your malleable little minds with you this year!” Mr. Raditch took out his notebook and opened it to begin a roll call. “For those of you who are new... my name is Mr. Raditch. For those of you who are returning, we meet again. Welcome to Grade 8. “Okayyy... you young people are Class 8A. A for action, A for artistic, A for achiever, are you with me?!” There was a ragged affirmative. “A for achiever... are you with me?!” Mr. Raditch repeated with emphasis and spirit. “Yes, Mr. Raditch!” somewhat raggedly, but louder. “Donna Andrews?” She was 12. “Here.” “Hamid Bhandari?” He was 12. “Here.” “Margaret Brown?” She was 12. “Here,” Maggie replied. “Geoffrey Capp?” “Here.” “Louis Chartiers?” “Here.” “'Lorraine Delacorte'?” “Here,” L.D. replied. “Louise Durrell?” She was 12. “Here.” “'Erica Farrell'?” “Here.” “'Heather Farrell'?” “Here.” “'Lucy Fernandez'?” “Here.” “Stella Garrett?” “Here.” “'Voula Grivogiannis'?” “Here.” “Gunter Heinlandt?” “Here.” “Benjamin Hofer?” “Here.” “Linda Iversen?” “Here.” “Joey Jeremiah? It’s all right... I think I remember you.” Most everyone tittered at that. “Stephanie... Kaye?” “Yes,” Stephanie replied. “That’s my mom’s name and it is mine, now, too.” At her insistence, her mother had asked to have the registration changed to match the one Stephanie had verbally used all through Grade 7. Mr. Raditch shrugged. Geoff had a bit of a retentive memory, and recalled that on day one last year, Ms. Avery had given a longer name for Stephanie. Was she the sister that Arthur had spoken of? “Kyle Kerreck?” He was 12, as well. “Here.” “'Wai Lee'?” “Here.” “Harold LeGere?” “Here.” “'Shane McKay'?” “Here.” “Trevor Moseley?” He also was 12. “Here.” “'Christine Nelson'?” “Here,” Spike replied. Geoff had noted that her hairdo was even more... pronounced in style than the year before. And she would turn 13 on September 30. “'Alexa Pappadopolos'?” “Here.” “Vanessa Ross?” “Here.” “'Archie Simpson'?” “Here,” Snake replied. “'Bryant Thomas'?” “Here,” B.L.T. replied. “Nita Todd?” “Here.” “'Derek Wheeler'?” “Here,” Wheels replied. “Well, guys, you’re outnumbered again! 15 to 14!” “You can be one of the guys!” Trevor offered. Mr. Raditch made a face which quickly stilled the titters. He turned to begin to draw the weekly timetable. some slight adjustments, this is what seemed to appear on the blackboard in the TV episode.] *Period Start End *HR 8:30 8:40 Home Room - Mr. Raditch *1 8:40 9:25 English - Mr. Raditch *2 9:25 10:10 M, Tu, W - Phys-Ed - Mr. El-Kadry/Mrs. Sakamoto *2 9:25 10:10 Th - Pool, bus to Schuyler Lions Pool - Mr. El-Kadry/Mrs. Sakamoto *2 9:25 10:10 F - Health - Mr. El-Kadry/Mrs. Sakamoto *3 10:10 10:55 M,W,F - Music - Mr. Lombardo *3 10:10 10:55 Tu, Th - Theatre - Ms. Wong *4 10:55 11:40 M,W,F - French - Mlle. Tremblay *4 10:55 11:40 Tu, Th - Art - Ms. Wong *5 11:40 12:25 M,W,F - Lunch A *5 11:40 12:25 Tu, Th - Math - Mr. Raditch *6 12:25 1:10 M,W,F - Math - Mr. Raditch *6 12:25 1:10 Tu, Th - Lunch B *7 1:10 1:55 geography - Ms. Avery *8 1:55 2:40 science - Mrs. Wierenga *9 2:40 3:25 history - Ms. Avery “Yes, Geoff?” Mr. Raditch answered Geoff’s raised arm. “I was just wondering why lunch and math are switched around on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That didn’t happen last year.” “Simply a means to vary your access to the freshest food in our wonderful cafeteria... and mix you with students from different classes... we know lunch is the high social occasion of your school day!” “Ah, okay.” The first day, Geoff found 8A was mixed with students from 8C and 8E, as well as 7A, 7C and 7B. The next day, they were mixed with 8D, 8F, 7B, 7E and 7F. Wednesday, there was yet another mix and Geoff stopped trying to keep track. The students in the F classes had arrived in Canada speaking only their mother tongues, and learning to be proficient in English while studying a modified course load. The E classes were for students who’d shown the capability to study at an advanced level in some subjects where they were getting curriculum from the year ahead of them. The D classes were those with behavioural or learning difficulties. ** A couple of days later, the student council elections were under way. Snake Simpson and Brad Storey quickly entered the race for president, but almost at once, so did Stephanie. Stephanie’s campaigning began to take the school by storm. Geoff noticed loud rallies dominated by boy admirers, and as he walked by, groaned as he heard remarks by the boys. Voula was Stephanie’s main helper, and she looked rather “non-plussed” by Stephanie’s antics. Geoff did not notice that his walk past the rally, paying it no interest, had been observed by Voula. On Thursday morning, the boys were talking about seeing Stephanie in a bikini, or not in a bikini. It only took a couple of seconds for Geoff to figure out what that meant, and feel even worse. Why was Stephanie encouraging that kind of humiliating innuendo? Geoff had noticed for two years how rude the boys could be, and now, Stephanie was reveling in making it happen. Minutes later, Geoff noticed Voula walk away in disgust, coming from the direction of that rally. The novelty of seeing one boy her age not being one of Stephanie’s “groupies” caught Voula’s eye and she locked eyes with Geoff for just a couple of seconds. Unfortunately, Stephanie’s tactics brought her a victory on Friday 9 September, and she became student council president. The fall dance was set for 16 September. Voula announced at the beginning of the week an effort to raise funds for the school’s foster child, and one student suggested turning the dance into a benefit, with a one dollar admission charge. The students liked the idea, and Stephanie was charged with making the presentation announcement at the dance. ** Tuesday after school, Stephanie, Erica and five other girls were sitting together outside the school, obviously discussing something of importance, but keeping their voices low and their note papers hidden from passing boys. “So,” asked Carolyn, from 8B, “these are your updated ratings on the boys in Raditch’s class?” “Yeah,” Erica replied, referring to the list she and Stephanie had worked on. Carolyn giggled as she looked it over. “Snake... four inches taller... still shy... good catch. Hm... Joey... not for a while... still got his mind on sex. Wheels... cute and...” “I want him,” Stephanie declared. “He’s mine for now!” Carolyn shrugged. Then she counted. “13 guys, huh?” “I thought we had 14 in our class, Steph,” Erica said. “So did I, but... everyone I can think of is on there.” “Let’s see,” Gretchen said, looking it over. “Joey, Snake, Shane, Wheels, Louis, Gunter, Benjamin, Wai Lee, Trevor, Kyle, Harold, Hamid, B.L.T.” She counted again. “That’s 13.” “Dave...” Carolyn declared. “Dave Biggins.” “No,” Gretchen said. “Dave’s in my class, 8C.” “You sure it’s 14, Erica?” Stephanie asked. “Positive,” Erica replied. “Let’s just watch tomorrow when we get to class.” Wednesday morning, Stephanie and Erica were keeping an eye out, and when Geoff Capp walked through the door, they exchanged a look of surprise. “No wonder!” Erica whispered to Stephanie. “He’s such a nobody!” “Tell me about it,” Stephanie remarked. “He’s probably about the only Grade 8 boy who didn’t take a kiss for the election.” “One boy who could resist you, huh?!” Erica jibed. The tactic hadn’t endeared Stephanie to Erica, but it hadn’t been a particularly wide rift last week. “We’ll discuss his rating with the others at lunch,” Stephanie said. “What’s to discuss,” Erica countered. “D minus minus?” When the seven all met after school, they were mostly agreed. “You sure this Geoff deserves a rating that low?!” Carolyn demanded. “D minus,” Stephanie said. “The other guys all stood out last year, and this year, a lot of ‘em are looking so much smarter and cuter, but Geoff’s stayed put. It’s a wider gap. We have to downrate him from D!” Just then, Geoff came out the door, down the steps, and headed for the street to head home. The girls all eyed him critically. “Well, look at him!” Carolyn insisted. “Tall...” “Not as tall as Snake,” Gretchen said. “Yeah, but he’s taller than Joey. Lean... and I’ve heard that he takes some kind of martial art. He’s probably in great shape!” “He did try out for soccer,” T.D. remarked. “He might make that team. He’s gotta get a higher mark than D minus!” “He’s 13, right?” Carolyn demanded. “Gotta have some kind of sexy quality about him.” “Girls,” Erica insisted, “he’s a square! He’s a nerd! Look at how he dresses! Never makes jokes about girls... wasn’t at any of Steph’s rallies last week.” “No jokes about girls?” Carolyn asked. “Never,” Erica said. “The other guys do... innuendo... you know. He doesn’t. Like sex appeal is nothing to him!” The girls all exchanged looks, before Carolyn shrugged. “Okay... D minus. Not a catch. Nobody to be knocking ourselves out for.” “Exactly,” Stephanie said. She chuckled. “Maybe in Grade 10 or 11 he might start to become interesting, but I’m not gonna hold my breath about upgrading him. We might have to invent a lower grade than D minus!” ** Geoff had no plans to attend the dance, shy as he was, and no obvious friend to go with. On Thursday, Geoff went up to the foster child fund organizer in the lunch room. “Voula?” She looked up and smiled. “Hi, Geoff.” “The, uh, dance on Friday, the benefit? I had no plans to attend, but I do want to support the foster child. So... could you put this into the fund for that dance?” Voula looked down, expecting to see a one-dollar bill or some coins. Geoff had a five-dollar bill, which he then left on the table. “Five?” Voula exclaimed softly. She looked back up. “There... might be other people who don’t go... don’t want to or can’t... aren’t allowed. They might not think about doing it this way. So four of it can be for them.” “That’s very generous, Geoff. Thank you!” She put the five into her pocket. “I will add that to the kitty.” “Thank you. Uh, see ya.” Geoff turned and went back to his lunch. Voula gazed at Geoff with a bit of wonder. It was such a nice gesture, and she figured she knew him a bit better. However, Geoff remained an enigma, a boy not too many people seemed to know, and who had several scornful opinions said about him. Voula wondered if Geoff needed a friend, or was just happy as he was. ** On Tuesday 4 October, Louis Chartiers intercepted Geoff while he was headed from lunch to geography class. “Hey, Geoff,” he said, “watch yourself in Ms. Avery’s class.” “Huh? Why?” “Figured you hadn’t heard it. Rumour going around... started with the Grade 7s. Ms. Avery is lesbian.” “You mean... homosexual?” “Yeah... lesbian.” “So what?” “You’re okay with that?!” “Louis, it’s her own private business. It has nothing to do with school. If she’s doing her job competently, what does it matter to us?” “She’s touching students. Especially the girls.” “So what? Lots of the girls touch each other. I think it’s just a girl thing. Doesn’t mean anything. My mother touches her friends on arms, shoulders, backs, they don’t get uptight about it... and I’m sure my mother and her friends are not homosexual. And like I said... even if Ms. Avery is, it’s none of our business. When she starts promoting such ideas, or trying to... do things that aren’t part of school or classes, then we talk about it.” “Doesn’t bother you? Okay... okay... try this! Last year, there was a rumour that Mr. Lombardo was gay! So he could have gone after you!” “Mr. Lombardo, the music teacher, whose wife had a baby last June... him?!” Geoff demanded skeptically. “Nobody even knew about a wife until the spring, Geoff! And he and a couple of boys were hanging around a lot after school.” “They were practicing their music for the spring recital, Louis. It was a surprise for everyone!” “Yeah, but who knows what else was going on.” “Come with proof, Louis! Proof that someone’s being harmed or someone’s being pressured into doing things they personally shouldn’t. Prove that someone’s privacy is being violated. Improper touching. Prove it, Louis. Until you do, don’t assume. If you’re wondering, then keep a sharp eye and watch for evidence either way. But as for Ms. Avery...” Geoff rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I think some of the girls are nervous about her. And probably mostly because of this rumour. Louis, it’s all right to be watchful, careful... but they should do it with an open mind and... well... innocent until proven guilty. I don’t mean guilty as in doing something wrong. I mean... give Ms. Avery the benefit of the doubt. I haven’t seen her doing anything I haven’t seen other women teachers and my own mother and her friends doing.” “What if she is?” Louis demanded. “What if she is what?” “What if she is lesbian?!” Geoff gestured Louis to a quiet corner. “Louis... if it’s burning a hole in your pocket, then ask to talk to her.” “What?!” “Yes. Ask to talk to her. Tell her there’s a rumour. Tell her you’re concerned that people should...” Geoff had to phrase this carefully. “People should be able... to be... to feel okay around her... that they know she wouldn’t do things that are wrong in school... touching parts of a person that are private, asking wrong questions. Tell her you’re not feeling that you’re threatened... I hope you don’t, Louis... but it needs to be dealt with before it gets out of hand and the wrong people start hearing about it.” “Wrong people?” “Well, yeah, Louis. There are people who so fear or hate homosexuals that they would hurt them... tease them... start terrible stories about them.” “Like fundie Christians?” “''I’m'' a fundie Christian, Louis! But I don’t tease them and I don’t want to hurt them.” Louis stared in amazement at Geoff. “Ms. Avery is a very good teacher. It wouldn’t be fair to her or the rest of us if she couldn’t do her job because of something happening that didn’t have to. Don’t you think?” The bell rang. The period had begun. Louis looked very undecided. “Don’t you think it would be unfair?” “Yeah.” “All right. Either stop spreading the rumour or go to Ms. Avery and tell her what’s going on. Maybe she can put the whole thing to rest by clearing up any misunderstanding.” “Why don’t you do it?” “Me? Louis, I’m not getting uptight about it. But if you want me there for... moral support... I suppose. You have to take the lead here because you’re the one who’s uptight.” Louis looked around nervously. “Okay, I suppose.” “Today at end of classes. Tell her on the way out. She might even ask you because we’re late.” Louis swallowed nervously. “Okay.” They headed for the classroom and entered. “Louis, Geoff? This isn’t like you.” Geoff looked to Louis, who swallowed again. “Ms. Avery... can I... talk to you... after classes? At 3:25?” “About why you’re late?” “That and... something I’m having trouble with.” Ms. Avery shrugged. “Okay. Geoff, what about you?” “Same thing, ma’am.” “Okay... 3:25, then.” She seemed contented enough. ** There was one intervening class – science – then they were back in Ms. Avery’s class for history. At 3:25, the bell rang, and the students filed out. Geoff remained seated, and as the remaining students funneled through the door, Geoff gestured with his head at Louis, also still seated. Louis met Ms. Avery’s eyes and stood, and stepped forward to face her across the desk. “Geoff and I were late because we were talking in the hall.” “That doesn’t sound like a very good reason. You were just coming off lunch, right? Not enough time?” “Ms. Avery,” Louis replied, “talking about... you.” “About me.” Louis nodded, losing his nerve. He looked to Geoff. Geoff urged him on with a head motion. “Ms. Avery... there’s a rumour going around. About you.” “What sort of a rumour?” “That you’re... that you’re... lesbian.” So that’s what it was. Karen Avery had talked with Caitlin Ryan on Monday about this. Was it still going around? Perhaps the clarifications had not fully circulated, she thought. “And why is this being rumoured about me?” she asked in a non-accusing voice. “I don’t know... it’s just the talk. About the way you... touch. Other stories.” “Ms. Avery, if I may?” Geoff asked. The teacher gestured Geoff to come forward. “Ms. Avery... I consider it to be your private business. I don’t have a problem if you are. I’m a Christian... and in my beliefs, homosexuality is wrong, but the people who do it... they still matter. God still loves them. God loves you no matter what your choices are. And... as long as you’re doing your job... and not hurting anyone or trying to get anyone to do anything that doesn’t belong in the school... nobody should be talking about you like that.” Geoff looked to Louis. “That’s all that Louis and I were talking about in the hall near the end of lunch. I was trying to tell him that as long as you were doing the right things on your job, it didn’t matter what your private life involved.” “Louis?” He shrugged. “Yeah. That’s what Geoff said.” “We didn’t mean to be late, ma’am,” Geoff said. “But... I was... feeling bad for you because... the rumours... I only heard about them from Louis because I’m not really on the grapevine around here. The rumours... what if they got to the wrong people? People who’d hurt you by saying evils about you? Or... vandalizing your things? Putting up hateful things? “Even if the rumours were right... Ms. Avery, it’d be wrong to hurt you or say evils about you. It’d be wrong to make a big fuss about it. Like I said... it’s your private life. As long as you keep your private life to yourself, nobody here should be making any kind of trouble for you.” Geoff looked to Louis. “That’s all I was trying to do. Tell Louis that... nobody should be trying to hurt you... and if we stopped talking about those rumours... there’d be less chance of you being hurt.” Ms. Avery sat back in her chair, contemplating the items on the desktop. At length, she looked back up at Geoff. “Do you think I’m lesbian?” “Doesn’t matter what I think, Ms. Avery. Whether you are or you aren’t, that’s your private business. I don’t need you to tell me. I’ve never been freaked out by you. By you touching me or anyone. My mom says... my mom says it’s our nature to need to be touched. Some people do more than others.” “That’s true, Geoff. It’s a social need of being human. How about you, Louis? Do you need to know?” Louis shrugged nervously. After an awkward pause, he finally found his voice. “No, I... guess I... don’t.” “Did you want me to see if... it’s possible to arrange for a different class for you?” “No, ma’am. No. You don’t have to... I can... manage.” “What would you think of me if I was lesbian, Louis?” Louis didn’t want to meet her eyes. Then he flinched as Geoff laid a hand on his shoulder, and looked to Geoff. It flashed through his mind that Geoff had made it plain that he wouldn’t be terribly upset. Was Geoff a closet homosexual? “Louis... homosexuals are people, too. They grieve God’s heart just like the rest of us... with the evil we sometimes have in our hearts, the hatred we sometimes feel. Hating a person for being homosexual is just as grievous as the person carrying out such an act. I respect the opinions of people who think homosexual acts are not wrong, though I disagree with them. But hate is not the answer. “Even if someone you look up to turns out to be homosexual... you don’t stop looking up to them for what you respect about them. Ms. Avery’s a great geography and history teacher, and she’s got a great sense of humour. Does that change if you discovered she was not who you thought she was?” Louis nodded in a bare movement of his head. Without looking at the teacher, he replied. “It would bother me, Ms. Avery,” he admitted. “But Geoff is right. It shouldn’t matter. I guess I... need to think about it for awhile.” “Okay, Louis, that’s fair enough. Geoff’s right. I don’t have to tell you about my private life. But although I have a couple of friends who are lesbians, I myself am not.” “Even still, Louis,” Geoff added, “you still might encounter one... one day. You’ve got to see it right. It might be a teacher, or a janitor, or a car salesman, or a job interviewer. They’ve got jobs to do, and as long as they stick to the job and keep their personal lives out of it... It applies to us, too, we who are heterosexual. We don’t take our private sexual lives onto our jobs and try to promote it. Doesn’t belong there.” “Yeah,” Louis admitted. “I’m sorry, Ms. Avery.” “Apology accepted. See you at start of class tomorrow, okay? On time?” she finished with a smile. “On time,” Louis agreed. He turned to leave. Geoff waited. “Something else, Geoffrey?” Ms. Avery asked. “I’m just waiting... until you dismiss me, ma’am.” “Ah. Well. I... appreciate your... trying to give advice to Louis. Not the advice I’d give... but... it seemed to work. You should be aware that your views are in a minority. A lot of people could be offended by them.” “Yes, I know. But... my orders... from my Lord... they supercede ones given by mere human beings. I’m expected to speak the truth. And do it in love. I’m expected to let you and others see Christ through my words and my actions. I’m expected to act in a way that you see that God loves you and wants you for His everlasting kingdom.” “Do you really believe homosexual acts are wrong?” “Yes, ma’am. I trust in God’s word, the Bible.” “So people who do it go to Hell, is that what you mean?” “Ms. Avery, we all do wrong. Nobody has ever been so good they never did anything wrong. One act is enough to condemn us to Hell. But there’s hope. The apostle Paul wrote that though we have all been doers of various wrongs, we can be washed clean and enter Heaven. God specifies the wrongs, but He also provided a way to be redeemed... absolved. “Ms. Avery, I look forward to Heaven, and being arm in arm with... with thieves... murderers... homosexuals... adulterers... liars... People who were these things and turned from them, wanting to be more like God’s design. I’m no better than them. Not by an iota!” “According to your beliefs... your religion, Geoff.” “Well, Ms. Avery, a lot of people who don’t share my beliefs think there’s only condemnation and punishment. They don’t realize there’s redemption and liberation, too. They don’t realize there’s a free atonement offered for us, even though we didn’t deserve it. They don’t realize that God only wants them to come home into His arms.” “You’re right, Geoff. A lot of people don’t know that. I’m even surprised to hear you say it. There’s nothing in our junior high curriculum to study world religions. That’s something you’re more likely to find in higher grades. Otherwise, I suppose it’s something we’d explore... maybe get to know it better. For now... I’ll have to take your word for it that you don’t hate gays and lesbians. But you should know that a lot of people will think you hate them.” “Ms. Avery, too many people hate them and want them to get hurt, and even do the hurting. I’m not one of them.” “I believe you, Geoff. Even if I don’t understand you. And thank you for talking to Louis. It wasn’t... a great reason to be late for class... but it was good enough once you came and talked to me about it.” “I’m sorry, ma’am.” “Maybe someday... I’ll understand you and your religion a bit better.” Geoff didn’t know how to reply to that. “See you tomorrow, Geoff.” end of part one This story referred to events, copyrighted material, in the DJH episodes "Kiss Me, Steph", "The Big Dance", "Rumour Has It" (episodes 1, 2 & 6 of first season). Category:Blog posts